"Call of Duty" DLC Is Locked To A Single "Elite" Profile

There's an interesting report making the rounds that Activision's new downloadable content policy is at odds with Microsoft's terms of use for digital purchases. The latest Modern Warfare maps, currently available only to Call of Duty "Elite" members, are locked to a single "Elite" account; yet Microsoft's policies clearly state that DLC can be used by any profile on the original console on which it was downloaded.

So your friends can hop into a splitscreen game of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet with you, even if they haven't purchased the game on their own profiles, because that's the way the terms of use work. But not anymore, apparently, if Activision's current policy sticks. A thread on their official forums documents the issue, with eight pages of users complaining about the change.

Microsoft's terms are clearly spelled out every time you download anything, and Activision should be penalized for flagrantly violating them. Now two gamers who want to play the maps together, even if they're playing on the same console, will each have to cough up for an "Elite" account—that's an extra $50, just to play some new maps.

Has Activision done anything wrong, or should they be free to dictate such policies for their own content, and never mind what Microsoft promises? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter.